The Beat of a Heart
by Pixiebby
Summary: Popuri thinks she's in love, Gray likes tea, Karen doesn't know what she wants and Ann secretly wants someone to love her too... then there's Kai, he's just an innocent bystander. Right? Right.


**(A/N):** Plot bunnies will be the death of me! *glances towards homework* Oh well! I hope everyone enjoys this! Let me know what you think, I don't really write in first person very often.. It was fun though :)

Constructive criticism is appreciated! :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon, and I never will :\ **

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><p>I was infatuated the first moment I saw him.<p>

I was sixteen years old, and it was the start of summer; the longest day of the year. He came to our little island as a vacation, to 'get away' from some everyday hardships and the like. He said he had heard of our town from some vegetable trader he had done business with at some point, and it sounded like the perfect place to relax. He was supposedly some worldly chef who had the desire to cook and learn different dishes on every continent in the world.

It sounded like an exciting way to live, to travel. "-and it's romantic." That's what my best friend Ann had told me one morning before he arrived. She was the daughter of the man who owned the Inn, so she always got to hear all the gossip on anyone who was coming through our small farm town.

Little did she know that 'romantic' was the exact vibe that floated around him. He made all the girls swoon. He had a way with words and knew how to use them, knowing how to make you feel perfectly special and wanted. Sometimes it wasn't even his words; it was his eyes, or the slight way he'd let his hand linger on your arm a moment too long.

He was sitting at the bar in the Inn when I walked in to introduce myself, I was always excited to meet a new face. Living in a small town, it didn't happen often.

He had a drink in his hand when I approached, swirling the liquid in the glass around slowly as he chatted to Ann's father behind the counter.

"Mornin' Popuri." Doug, Ann's father nodded to me as the newcomer spun around on his chair to look at me. My words caught in my throat. His eyes bore into me, and I felt my face start to heat up at the smile he sent my way.

He stuck his hand out, "I'm Kai." he said as he waited for me to take his hand. I remember being highly embarrassed as I slowly placed my clammy hand in his, silently cursing for letting my nerves get the best of me. I sent a silent prayer to the Goddess. I really hoped he hadn't noticed; if he did, he never said anything.

"Popuri.." My voice came out in a whisper as he shook my limp hand in his, and I instantly kicked myself for letting that clammy hand of mine go limp.

My brother, Rick had always told me that shaking a limp hand was like shaking a dead fish around. Great, I had officially introduced myself as Popuri: the insecure, clammy, dead fish who doesn't know how to speak up when she talks.

"I really love your hair." He said as he smiled, he was still holding my hand. "It almost looks pink."

I blushed, shaking my head as I desperately hoped my normal, confident self would show herself soon, "Thank you..."

A cough from behind the counter caused us both to look back toward Doug, "I believe Ann is upstairs."

"Oh! Right, thanks." I turned my direction back to the boy to my right. "I'll see you around then." I said as I stepped back away from him, letting my hand slowly slide out of his.

"See you around." His smile lifted his eyes before he turned back to Doug, and I promptly ran up the stairs to find Ann.

If there was a cloud nine, I was on it. I spun around, letting my dress lift up around me as I hugged my arms around myself. "Ann, he's perfectly dreamy." I said giggling.

She had her own giddy smirk of her own, "I know..." She sighed as she poked her head down the stairs to get another look at him.

"Do all boys become like that when they get older?" I said as I spun around again.

Ann looked back over at me, "He doesn't seem that much older... does he?"

The logical side of my mind was telling me yes, but the rest of my mind and body was adamantly demanding that he absolutely was not that much older. He looked like he was in his early twenties, and I'm pretty positive that age difference would not be much of a problem.

He had said that he loved my hair after all, and when a guy says that he loves your hair it _means something._Trust me.

"Do you think we're too young for him?" I said while Ann glanced back down the stairs.

"Well, I know Dad wouldn't approve... and you're brother especially wouldn't." She sighed and looked back at me again.

"I've never even liked anyone _like_ _this_ before! How do you know how Rick would react?" Ann just laughed.

"Please, you think that Rick would be okay with you dating?" She laughed again as she shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway. It's not like he would be interested in us... I bet he dates really beautiful girls all around the world." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

I frowned, but my heart was still beating erratically from the encounter with him just minutes before. I sighed as I slid down the side of the wall in the hallway.

"Did you see how long he held my hand?" I said as the smile quickly started to return to my face.

"Yes!" Was her instant reaction. We laughed as we got lost into our own daydreams.

It had only been about seventeen minutes since I had met him, and I already thought I was in love. In my entire sixteen years of existence, no one had ever made me feel the way he did in that small moment I shared with him. I immediately deemed it as the most important moment of my life.

If love was anything like what I had imagined, Kai was every form of the word in every sense it could be used.

"-so romantic.." I heard Ann say dreamily.

Our friend Gray took this moment to open his bedroom door and walk into the hallway.

He apprenticed at his grandfather's blacksmith shop down the street from the Inn; and let me just say this, there are still a lot of rumors going around as to why Gray lived at the Inn as opposed to his grandfather's house.

Why wouldn't he live with his grandfather? It was a very good question to ponder for the very curious minds of the townsfolk. Saibara is a very compassionate man after all; he took Gray under his wing, offered to teach him his trade when Gray had no where else to go.

Let me clear this rumor up for everyone once and for all.

When he had first moved here, he actually had lived with the old blacksmith for awhile despite what everyone else will tell you. He lived with his grandfather for almost a month before one day he burst through the Inn doors and flat out _demanded_ a room. It was safe to say that said Grandfather and said Grandson did not see 'eye to eye'.

Old man Saibara would only take his coffee black you see, and Gray couldn't drink the stuff unless it was a french vanilla bean cappuccino. He preferred tea; and Saibara called him a pansy when Gray decided to announce his preference at breakfast that first morning with the old man.

As you can see, the relationship was doomed from the get-go; and unless you want to see how short of a temper Gray actually has, I would advise everyone in the area to not bring up the old man in any conversation that is within earshot to the young blacksmith.

How he even still works under him confuses most of us, but Ann and I decided that it just shows how determined he is to get good at his trade.

Besides, if his relationship with his Grandpa was good he would have never made his residence at the Inn. Then Ann and I would have never been able to become friends with him, I don't think we would've ever got him to open up otherwise.

Gray took in our expressions as he closed his bedroom door; shooting us a weird look before he spoke, "What's with you two?"

"You're new roommate, Kai.." Ann said in a dreamy voice, causing the boy staring down at us to roll his eyes. He then went back to looking bored before he walked off down the stairs.

"Let me know when summer is over and I get my room back to myself." He said while we giggled at his retreating back.

"We're getting details from you later!" Ann yelled after him.

Needless to say, it didn't take long before every girl in Mineral Town was head over heals for the new boy who was staying at the Inn.

It seemed like every 'hello' or glance was unique in every way; Ann and I finally defined it the next day as absolutely magical.

Gray thought that this was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. "I'm going to the library." He said as he watched us burst into laughter and squeal before Ann made a whistle sound at Gray. He had a 'secret' crush on the librarian, Mary.

She was a little older than Ann and I and kept to herself mostly, but I always thought that Gray would look cute with her. I know for a fact though that he didn't really like to read, and everyone in town that thought he did were absolute fools.

He simply made a rude hand gesture as he walked out of the room, and I gaped at the door he slammed behind him. I hated it when he did that.

"I heard Kai and Karen were seen walking on the beach together." Ann said in a defeated kind of way, my heart instantly sank.

"Karen? I kind of thought my brother and her would always end up together. They're kind of having a _thing, _you know?" Ann shrugged as she started to clean up the room.

It was one of the perks of being the Innkeeper's daughter, she got to clean. Gray seemed to get a lot of enjoyment out of calling her 'the help' whenever the circumstances let him.

"Well, the rumor is that Kai and her were holding hands... and you know what that leads too." Too be honest I didn't know what holding hands could lead too. I assumed she meant kissing, but I felt too embarrassed to ask.

"Kai held my hand the first time I met met him!" I said, trying to convince myself that he wouldn't try to date Karen. Never mind the fact that my brother and her were in an odd sort of place with each other. I know I saw them kissing last week after all.

Ann laughed and shook her head, "Popuri... we both know he was just being polite."

"A little too polite." I said resting a hand on my hip.

"Popuri... Karen's really pretty. She's blonde... she's nineteen. _Nineteen... _we probably seem like just a couple of kids to him." She shrugged again before going back to dusting, "Don't let it break your heart."

"Where did you hear this rumor anyway? I don't believe it." I crossed my arms as a frown tugged at the corner of my lips. "He just got here yesterday!"

"Well, Karen offered to show him around.. but I guess you can't believe everything you hear. Right?" I nodded, glad she was coming to her senses but still felt that twinge of jealousy wrap around my chest.

It's safe to say that this is about the same time my brother started to dislike Kai, and it wasn't because the rumors hurt_ me _mind you. It was because the rumors hurt _him_, and put my brother in a very acceptable jealous rage. He was selfish like that.

Rick had been swooning after Karen since he was four years old. They've kissed a few times, and went to festivals together. I kind of thought it as an unspoken kind of committed love for each other.

They had been friends forever, and to be honest they never acted different around each other whether they were acting like they were together or_ together. _

I figured it was because the friendship and relationship stuff just kind of fit together that smoothly with them.

Now, I realize it was because Karen was always looking for something more and was sidestepping around the whole commitment to Rick thing. She was settling before, and she didn't even know it. Living on an island away from the rest of the world limits your options you know.

Honestly, if you don't know anything else... it's almost like nothing else exists.

I was in my room when I heard the yelling outside my window a few nights later. A commotion in Mineral Town? I was surprised to say the least, but I should have known that my brother would be right in the middle of it.


End file.
